Paved surfaces are commonly used to construct structures such as roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, and are usually constructed out of materials such as asphalt and concrete. Unfortunately, paved surfaces often develop imperfections ranging from small cracks to large holes. Such imperfections may occur naturally as the paved surfaces age. For example, asphalt and concrete roads deteriorate over time. Imperfections can also be caused by hostile environmental conditions, such as extreme weather, as well as by heavy use, such as heavy traffic on a road. Paved surfaces may also be intentionally cut open in order to obtain access to an area below the paved surface; for example, a road may need to be dug up in order to obtain access to an utility line located beneath the road.
Imperfections in paved surfaces are often repaired by filling the imperfection with patching material, which typically consists of hot mix asphalt, concrete, or cold mix asphalt. A pot-hole in a road may for example be filled with such patching material.
In the typical scenario, patching material is delivered to the area to be patched via a truck or a trailer. One or more operators then fill an imperfection by placing the patching material in the imperfection; an operator may for example shovel hot mix asphalt, concrete, or cold mix asphalt from the truck into the imperfection. Alternatively, an operator standing proximate to the imperfection may manually maneuver patching material dispensing equipment, such as a spray nozzle, to direct the patching material into the imperfection.